2018 Celtic Cup - Arrangements

Lille, France 20-22 April 2018

The Celtic Cup on 20-22 April will be played on the new astroturf pitch at Polo Hockey Club 200 Chemin Poivré, 59700 Marcq-en-Barœul, France. Matches begin at 11:00 on Friday 20 April so players should aim to arrive on Thursday 19 April. The last match is due to start at 14:00 on Sunday 22 April and the award ceremony will be between 15:30 and 16:00. The squad has now been published.

Hotel accommodation will be in the Mercure Lille Metropole Hotel, 157 Avenue de la Marne, 59700 Marcq-en-Barœul, France, at around € 85.48 for a single and €99.96 for two people per night on a B&B basis, including City Tax and VAT. The tournament fee is €800 per team. On Saturday evening there will be a gala, three course dinner at the Caquant Lounges, 29-31 Avenue de la Marne in Tourcoing. Places for up to 20 people are included in the tournament fee.

If you arrrive by train, you can travel to the hotel by Tramway T (12 minute journey) from Gare Lille Europe to Le Quesne, from where it is a short walk to the Mercure Lille Metropole. You can also take the tram to and from Tourcoing for the gala dinner. The ground is a 1.3 mile walk from the hotel so taxis to and from the ground (if there are not enough cars) are an additional expense. Buy a rechargeable ticket from a ticket machine at the tram stop for a supplement of €0.20 and top up at €1.60 per journey. Machines accept credit cards and coins but be prepared in case your credit card is not accepted in France.

Over 70 (Senior Grand Masters)

Travel

You will need to organise your own travel to Lille. The main possibilities are

ferry to Dunkirk, Calais or Zeebrugge, or Channel Tunnel, and car to the hotel (right on the A1 autoroute)

air to Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Beauvais or Charleroi and hire car, minibus or train to Lille/hotel

Eurostar train from London to Lille (the most popular method for trips to Lille in previous years)

You can fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and take the TGV to Lille - Easyjet and Flybe have flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to CDG, and you can fly Air France from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Ryanair fly from Edinburgh to Charleroi, though you need to find your way from Charleroi to Brussels to take the TGV to Lille.

You can fly out on Thursday 19 April and back on Sunday 22 April with EasyJet from Edinburgh or Glasgow to Paris Charles de Gaulle. Air France has direct flights from Aberdeen and Edinburgh to Paris, but not from Glasgow. The Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Charleroi leaves at 12:20 and the return flight is at 21:55 - it's currently the cheapest option.

You can book Eurostar trains online now but the price of Sunday trains has already gone up.